Front Porch: Highway 522 closures planned this week

Crews plan to close both directions of Highway 522 near the Snohomish River bridge from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday for rock blasting.Drivers will be sent on a detour using Highway 9 and U.S. 2. The detour will add 10 miles and 20 minutes to trips, depending on destination and traffic. It's part of a $128.8 million project to widen Highway 522 to four lanes. The highway will be widened south and west of Monroe, over a four-mile stretch from 179th Avenue SE to the Snohomish River bridge. A concrete-barrier median will be installed to prevent head-on collisions.More closures are planned later in December. Those are scheduled to occur from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. Dec. 4, Dec. 6, Dec. 11 and Dec. 13.Ben Franklin show: GregRobin Smith plans to appear in character as Benjamin Franklin for two shows Saturday at the Evergreen Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Marysville.He is scheduled to perform his interactive, one-man show, "Chautauqua," at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the church at 1607 Fourth Street. The event is suitable for adults and children ages 8 and older. A donation of $10 is suggested for the early show with $7 for seniors and students or $40 for the family. A $20 donation is suggested for the later show.For more information, go to www.indiegogo.com/Ben-Franklin-12-01-12.Read with a dog: Read aloud to a loving canine listener at the Snohomish Library at 11 a.m. Saturday. The community-based literacy program, Reading with Rover, helps kids strengthen reading skills and improve reading confidence. It's free, but children must have a caregiver.

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